Mounting system for solar modules

ABSTRACT

Mounting system for solar modules ( 6 ) having a frame ( 2 ) on which one or more plate-shaped solar modules ( 6 ) are held, wherein the frame ( 2 ) is supported on a substructure ( 7, 9, 11 ) that is fixed to a subsurface, characterized in that an anchor ( 13, 35 ) is provided that can be affixed to a building structure ( 17 ) and supports the frame ( 2 ) in an upper region, the frame ( 2 ) being slidably positioned relative to the anchor ( 13, 35 ).

The present invention relates to a mounting system for solar modules having a frame on which one or more plate-shaped solar modules are held, wherein the frame is supported on a substructure that is fixed to a subsurface.

Mounting systems for solar modules are well known in which a frame is supported on a substructure, for example on pile-driven foundation posts. The frame is thereby mounted at a previously determined angle of pitch either on several of the posts forming the substructure, wherein short front posts are arranged to the south side and longer rear posts arranged to the north side, or on only one post, wherein the frame is supported approximately in the centre so that there is an even distribution of load. These mounting systems can be fixed atop or onto buildings, or onto outdoor open areas. A disadvantage is that, in addition to the frame, relatively complex and expensive substructures have to be provided.

Furthermore, solar module mounting systems integrated into the facades forming part of the building envelope are also well known. In such cases, in addition to the purely retaining function, the systems have to fulfil further functions, like, for example, heat insulation and/or the provision of a waterproof facade or a waterproof section of the facade respectively. Disadvantageous here, however, is that retrofitting on the building envelope is no longer possible, or can be carried out only with considerable effort.

Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide a mounting system for solar modules that is flexible enough to be easily installed under various on-site conditions and which is suitable for retrofitting on buildings.

This object is achieved with a mounting system with the features of claim 1.

According to the invention, the frame is maintained in a slidable arrangement relative to the anchor so that a relative movement between the frame and the anchor is possible, not only during the installation but also in the installed state. Thus the installation is simplified as uneven surfaces on the ground can be balanced out and the installation heights of the anchor can be flexibly chosen. Moreover, thermal stress following an expansion of the frame can be avoided. The anchor can then be affixed at will to a suitable part of a wall or respectively to the facade of a building without it being necessary to accord it an exact position on the frame. The slidable bearing ensures the possibility of an appropriate adjustment.

Corresponding to a preferred design, guiding means have been attached to or formed at the anchor that allow a sliding movement along the profile in its longitudinal direction, wherein the setting range amounts to preferably more than 10 cm but also to more than 3 m. The profile can thereby either be arranged as an additional component on the frame or formed as an upwardly extending profile of the frame depending on choice. Preferably, an upwardly extending profile of the frame is used, which is maintained in a slidable arrangement by the anchor, making the frame a simple construction. The frame can thereby comprise several upwardly extending profiles that are connected to each other by way of one or more horizontal profiles. Then one or more plate-shaped solar modules are fixed to this frame.

To ensure a good guidance, it is preferable to implement guiding means disposed at the anchor and which at least partially clasp an upwardly extending profile. The appropriate guiding means or the whole anchor respectively can thus be slid onto the profile from above in a simple manner during the installation process to enable it to be affixed at any suitable height.

The guidance can also be provided by means of a slot that has been formed either in the upwardly extending profile or in a component connected to it, and through which a bolt is inserted for longitudinal guidance.

Corresponding to a further design, the anchor is connected to a retainer part that is adjustable in a horizontal direction relative to a part fixed to the building structure, for example a wall or a facade. Tolerance compensation in a horizontal direction can thereby be undertaken during the installation of the frame in order, for example, to find suitable fixing points on the facade.

When the anchor is connected to a retainer part that is pivotable about a horizontal and/or vertical axis relative to the part fixed to the building, a particularly good possibility for aligning the solar modules results, because the efficiency of the solar modules is dependent on the incident angle of the rays of the sun, so that an optimal alignment of the solar modules both in regard to the points of the compass as well as to the angle of pitch is beneficial for higher efficiency. Due to the fact that a part can be pivoted horizontally and vertically, an alignment both relative to the points of the compass and in regard to the angle of pitch can be achieved. Thus the solar modules can also be affixed to the walls of buildings or facades that are not south-facing (in the northern hemisphere). Additionally, the anchor can be constructed to be adjustable in length in order to adjust the angle of pitch.

Furthermore, the substructure can comprise a base part that is swivel-mounted to pivot about a horizontal axis so that by altering the length of the anchor, the angle of pitch of the solar modules fastened to the frame can also be altered. The preferred angles of pitch relative to the horizontal are in this case 60° to 80°, so that the distance between the substructure and the building is not too great.

The invention will be described subsequently in more detail by means of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a mounting system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the mounting system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an anchor of the mounting system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a modified anchor for a mounting system;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of an anchor;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a modified anchor;

FIG. 7A to 7C show several views of a further embodiment variation of an anchor for a mounting system;

FIGS. 8A to 8C show several schematic views of the mounting system of FIG. 1 during installation;

FIG. 9 shows an overhead view of a building with several installed solar modules;

FIG. 10 shows a detailed view of an anchor with lengthwise adjustability, and

FIG. 11 shows a detailed view of an anchor with lengthwise adjustability having a modified adjustment mechanism.

A mounting system 1 for solar modules comprises a frame 2 consisting of upwardly extending profiles 3 and horizontal profiles 4 and 5, wherein in FIG. 1 merely an upper horizontal profile 4 and a lower horizontal profile 5 are shown. Further horizontal profiles can be arranged in the middle section. One or more solar modules 6 are attached to the frame 2 and held to the frame 2 by means of strip-shaped fixing devices 12.

The frame 2 is supported at the bottom by a substructure that bears almost completely the weight load of the frame 2 with the solar modules 6. The substructure comprises a base part 11 and a stationary part 9, which is attached to a pile-driven foundation post 7 that is anchored in the ground 8 (FIG. 2).

The frame 2 is, in its upper region at certain points that are disposed to each other at intervals, attached to a wall 17 or the facade of a building respectively by means of schematically depicted anchors 13. The frame 2 can also be extended over greater heights, for example over 4 m, and can be installed on the walls of industrial premises. In order to obtain an optimal angle of pitch β corresponding to the on-site conditions, the base part 11 is disposed at a distance from the wall 17 of the building, wherein the angle of pitch can lie, for example, within a range of between 60° and 80°. The wall 17 of the building comprises an insulation 14 that is arranged adjacent to an interior wall 15. A post 16 is arranged in the interior area, which is necessary for structural purposes and to which an anchor 13 can be attached. It is possible to include a counter bearing for the anchor 13 in the interior area.

FIG. 3 depicts the mounting for a post 3 rising at an angle of pitch β and which is designed as a double-T-profile or I-beam having accordingly at each opposing end two laterally protruding webs 30 and 31 that are connected to each other by a central web 32. The profile 3 is slidably positioned by means of a retainer 20, which is designed in a U-shape or channel and has two brackets 25 and 26 that are connected to each other by a bottom side 27. An anchor 35 designed as a threaded rod is arranged on the bottom side 27 and attached to a post 16 of the building or to another structural element of the building. At a duct in a wall, a seal 29 is attached by means of a nut 28 to the anchor 35. Likewise, the retainer 20 is fixed in the desired position by means of nuts 28. In order to slidably position the profile 3, inwardly directed webs 21 and 22 as well as a connecting web 24 are designed to clasp the webs 30 and 31 of profile 3. The central web 32 is guided through a slit 23 between the webs 21 and 22. Thus, the profile 3 can be moved in a longitudinal direction whilst still being held by the retainer 20.

FIG. 4 shows a modified design refinement of a retainer part 20 that is constructed in the same manner as in FIG. 3 except for having a horizontal slot 36. By means of this horizontal slot 36, a horizontal repositioning of the retainer part 20 relative to the anchor 35 that is fixed to the wall can be carried out, so that when fixing the profile 3, an alignment both in a horizontal direction parallel to the wall as well as perpendicular to the wall can be achieved when the retainer part 20 is fixed using two nuts 28.

FIG. 5 shows a modified design refinement of a retainer 20′ that is constructed with an angular design and comprises a bottom side 27′ fixed to the anchor 35. An angled web 26′ extends from the bottom side 27′ to the profile 3, wherein at the end of web 26′ a guidance device 24′ is provided with two webs 21′ and 22′ that clasp the webs 30 and 31 of the profile 3 in such a manner that the profile 3 is longitudinally slidably guided at the retainer 20′.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment variation for the slidable positioning of a profile 3′ that diverges from the aforementioned embodiments in that it is designed as a hollow profile. In order to fix the profile 3′ to the anchor 35, a plate 30′ is attached to the profile 3′ and to which a bracing 31′ protruding to the wall of the building 17 is attached. A slot 32′ is formed in the bracing 31′ and into which a bolt 41 is inserted. The bolt 41 is attached by means of a fixing device 42 to a U-shaped retainer 40 that in turn is fixed to the anchor 35, thereby ensuring a guidance of the profile 3′ at the retainer 40. The slot 32′ could also be directly located in the profile 3′.

FIGS. 7A to 7C show a further design refinement of a retainer element used to fix a frame 2 to a wall 17 of a building. A first anchor part 50 is attached to a schematically depicted wall 17 and includes a protruding section 51 to which a sleeve 52 is arranged to form a rotational axis 53. A second sleeve 54 of a second anchor part 50′ is attached to the sleeve 52 by means of a not shown axis wherein the second anchor part 50′ includes a sleeve 55 at the opposite side and through which an axis 56 extends. Fixed to the axis 56 is a sleeve 58 of a third anchor part 50″ and through which the axis 56 also extends, wherein the second anchor part 50′ and the third anchor part 50″ are secured to each other on the axis 56 by means of nuts 57. On the third anchor part 50″, a guidance element 59 is arranged with grooves 60 to allow for the introduction of a section of a profile 3.

The attachment of the sleeves 52 and 54 can be carried out as with the sleeves 55 and 58, so that the third anchor part 50″ is positioned to pivot about both a horizontal axis as well as a vertical axis at the first anchor part 50.

In addition, an extension element 61 can be fitted between the sleeve 52 and the sleeve 54 and which features openings 62 and 63 at the opposing ends into which the appropriate axes can be inserted.

FIGS. 8A to 8C schematically depict the installation of a mounting system according to the invention. FIG. 8A depicts at the bottom side a pile-driven foundation post 7 mounted into the ground 8 and to which a stationary part 9 is attached and on which the base part 11 is positioned to pivot about an axis 10. The base part 11 is attached to a profile 3 wherein the profile 3 lies at first on the ground and can be connected to additional profiles 3 by means of horizontal profiles 4 and 5 to form a frame 2. In addition, assembly work on the solar modules 6 and the frame 2 can be carried out on the ground. Furthermore, an anchor 35 is attached to a wall 17 of the building.

The profiles 3 can be supported in an intermediate position above ground in order to attach the solar modules 6, for example by insertion into a suitable connector system. Furthermore, at the same time, the solar modules 6 can be wired together by cable.

Subsequently, the profiles 3, either separately or together with the frame 2 as wished, are swung up into position. Afterwards, a retainer part 20, 20′ or the third anchor part 59′ is slid onto the profile 3 and attached to the anchor 35. In the process, profile 3 and therefore also the solar modules 6 are brought into an angled position α relative to the vertical. The angle of pitch α can be chosen to be somewhat greater or smaller depending on the prevailing season, preferably between 10° and 30°.

Should it be necessary to replace a solar module 6 or carry out other repairs, the retainer parts 20, 20′ or the third anchor part 59′ can be detached and the frame 2 swung down, either to the ground or to an intermediate position over the ground as wished. The repairs can then be carried out before the frame 2 is again swung back up into position and reattached.

FIG. 9 schematically depicts a building with several solar modules 6 mounted on a mounting system according to the invention. As the frame 2 is positioned to pivot about the base part, the angle of pitch α can be adjusted. Furthermore, it is also possible to align the solar panels at an angle to the surface of a wall 17 of the building, as shown on the right side of the drawing. To this end, for example, a multi-part anchor 50, 50′ and 50″is used that allows for an appropriate and optimal alignment when attaching the solar modules 6.

FIG. 10 schematically depicts a longitudinally slidable anchor 35′ having a rod-shaped threaded portion 36′ provided with a centrally placed tool attachment section 37′ and screwed at the opposing ends into a sleeve 38′. A connection point 39′ is provided at the sleeve 38′ in order to be able to connect the anchor 35′ to a wall 17 of a building or respectively to a retainer 20, 20′ or 40. By changing the length of the anchor 35′, the angle of pitch of the solar modules can be adjusted.

FIG. 11 depicts a modified design refinement of an anchor 35″, which likewise is longitudinally adjustable. To this end, a bar 37″ engages with a sleeve 36″ wherein both in the bar as well as in the sleeve 36″ openings 38″ have been formed through which appropriate pins can be inserted for fastening purposes. A point of attachment 39″ is arranged on the bar 37″ to enable the connection to a wall 17, and, equally, there is a point of attachment 39″ on the sleeve 36″ to enable a connection to a retainer part 20.

In the depicted embodiments, the retainer parts 20, 20′, 59 are each mounted on a profile 3 that is slidably positioned. It is, of course, also possible to attach additional components to the frame 2 to allow for slidable positioning relative to a stationary anchor. 

1. Mounting system for solar modules (6) having a frame (2) on which one or more plate-shaped solar modules (6) are held, wherein the frame (2) is supported on a substructure (7, 9, 11) that is fixed to a subsurface, characterized in that an anchor (13, 35) is provided that can be affixed to a building structure (17) and supports the frame (2) in an upper region, the frame (2) being slidably positioned relative to the anchor (13, 35).
 2. Mounting system according to claim 1, characterized in that guiding means (21, 22, 24, 41, 59) are attached at to or formed at the anchor (13, 15), and that the anchor (13, 15) is slidably moveable relative to a profile (3) in its longitudinal direction.
 3. Mounting system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the frame (2) comprises upwardly extending profiles (3), and that at least one of these profiles (3) is slidably retained relative to an anchor (13, 35).
 4. Mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the setting range of the profile (3) relative to the anchor (13, 35) amounts to at least 10 cm, preferably more than 1 m or the whole length of the profile.
 5. Mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the frame (2) comprises several upwardly extending profiles (3) connected to each other by means of horizontal profiles (2, 5).
 6. Mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the guiding means (21, 22, 24, 49) provided at the anchor (13, 35) clasp at least partially an upwardly extending profile (3).
 7. Mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the guidance of an upwardly extending profile (3) is provided by means of a slot (32′) through which a bolt (41) is inserted.
 8. Mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the anchor (13, 35) is connected to a retainer part (20) that can be adjusted in a horizontal direction relative to a fixed part (35) fixed to a wall (17).
 9. Mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the anchor (13, 35) is connected to a retainer part (58) that can be pivoted about a horizontal and/or vertical axis (53, 56) relative to a fixed part (51) fixed to the wall (17).
 10. Mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the anchor (13, 35) comprises a section that can be inserted into a wall and to which a sealing device (29) is attached in order to seal the wall duct.
 11. Mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the anchor (35′, 35″) is constructed to be adjustable in length.
 12. Mounting system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the base part (11) fastened to a stationary part (11) pivots about a horizontal axis (10). 